Board of Directors

Jessica Brandt (Tucson)Jessica is a full time mother with three kids. She has her bachelors in Psychology from the U of A and her Masters in Social Work from ASU. Before becoming a full time mom, she worked at Souther Arizona Red Cross in the Health and Safety Department then opened a business which she ran for five years. She has been a lifelong Democrat and feminist.
Debi Chess Mabie (Tucson)Debi Chess Mabie has over twenty years of experience in non-profit program development, and organizational management. She has worked with youth organizations on the southwest side of Chicago and served as a community organizer and social justice campaign developer for the Southwest Youth Collaborative, volunteered creating programming for local non-profits, and served on several arts-based boards including Women in the Directors Chair, Shanti Foundation for Peace. Prior to leaving the Chicago area with her husband and three children in August of 2010 for Tucson, Debi was the Executive Director of Boocoo Cultural Center and Café in Evanston, Illinois. Boocoo is an arts based community center design to bridge social and economic barriers through inclusive arts programming. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Debi has a B.A. in Social Work from Wright State University, and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 
Andrea Gerlak (Tucson)

Andrea K. Gerlak is the Director of Academic Development for the International Studies Association and Environmental Policy Faculty Associate with the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona.  Since earning a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in Political Science, she has been on the faculty of Columbia University and Guilford College. She has published widely on environmental and natural resource policy issues.  Originally from the east coast, Andrea lives in Tucson with her husband and two young children.

Pam Grissom (Tucson)Pam is the Chairperson of the Board and one of the founders of Arizona List. Pam is a native Tucsonan. She was the first woman on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club and Junior Achievement. She was an original member of the Women’s Studies Advisory Council at the U of A and works on the community board of Women in Science and Engineering.
Shaun Kozolchyk (Tucson) Shaun has been an active participant in the political process since her high school years.  During her tenure as Area Director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee—AIPAC—Shaun further developed her sense of obligation to affect positive change on the world around her through activism.
Renee Morton (Tucson) CATHERENE “RENEE” MORTON is a Tucson business woman who owns and operates Homestyle Galleries, Southern Arizona’s largest consignment with- new furniture showrooms. Renee earned a B.A. from Smith College before moving on to the University of Pennsylvania where she received a M.A. and Ph.D. in American Studies. Renee also has a J.D. from the University of Arizona. Renee has taught History at Pima College, managed a county supervisor campaign, and published a Tucson shopping guide. She also practiced law in the juvenile court system in Tucson. Renee is a dedicated community activist, who has served on many local boards including twenty years with Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson, ten years with the Beacon Group, and fifteen years with the Jewish History Museum.
Deyanira Nevarez (Tucson)

Deyanira Nevarez grew up in San Luis, AZ. Her parents were both immigrant farm workers, and themselves the children of Mexican farm workers. Nevarez and her family continued to live in migrant camps until she was 12. She came to Tucson in 2004 to attend the University of Arizona. She quickly fell in love with Tucson’s warm embrace of its multicultural past.  She graduated from the University of Arizona in 2008 with a degree in political science and Latin American studies.  In her senior year she got an internship with Congressman Raúl Grijalva, and upon graduation in 2008 began working for his campaign.  In September, 2010, Nevarez moved over to spearhead the campaign to fight HB 2281. Deyanira sits on several boards and tries to be as active as possible in the community. She is the Secretary of Arizona List, the First Vice-Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party, the Vice-Chair of Las Adelitas Arizona and also sits on the YWCA board of Directors.

 
Devin Rankin (Phoenix) As a native Arizonan raised in Casa Grande, Devin has spent her career investing in her state and moving Arizona forward.  Before she became involved in politics, Devin graduated from Arizona State University West with a degree in biology.Devin joined the Arizona Democratic Party in 2002 as a field staffer and worked her way up to become the party’s finance director.   In 2007 Devin founded the well-regarded political fundraising firm, Rankin Consulting LLC. She has worked with several top-tier political clients, including, but not limited to the Arizona Democratic Party, Competitive Edge PAC – Governor Janet Napolitano’s PAC and candidates for U.S. Congress, Bob Lord and Jon Hulburd. In 2009 Devin was one of less than 100 women from around the world accepted to the non-partisan Women’s Campaign College at Yale.  The mission of the WCS at Yale is to provide the very best training in the world for women who want to run for office or who want to run the campaigns of women seeking elected office. In July of 2010, Devin transitioned out of politics and back to her science roots and joined BioAccel, a bioscience non-profit, as Development Director. 
Silvia Urrutia (Phoenix)Silvia has a BA and JD from Arizona State University. Silvia is co-founder of the Arizona Housing Alliance and is a Board member of the Sage Foundation for Health. She was a political activist in Massachusetts and co- founded Oiste. The first and only statewide Latino civic education organization in Massachusetts.